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Uttarakhand is all geared up to woo more visitors with butterfly tourism this winter

Published on : Monday, November 13, 2017

With around five hundred different species of butterflies found all around Uttarakhand, experts stated that “butterfly tourism” can give an impetus to the tourism industry of the state and help in branding as a sought-after tourist destination for global travelers. To note, Uttarakhand is also the second state in India after Maharashtra to have the ‘Common Peacock’ as a state butterfly.

To quote Sanjay Sondhi of the Dehradun-based Titli Trust, “Butterflies can be found extensively in areas such as Devalsari, Pawalgarh and Munsiyari. Locals there are adept in the knowledge about butterflies. These areas can become hotspots for butterfly tourism.” The trust carries out research on butterflies.

Lately, Sondhi had authored a book as well that talks about various butterfly species found in the state of Uttarakhand.

Interestingly, two butterfly parks have recently been created in the state -one at Lachhiwala in Dehradun and another at the Botanical Garden in Kumaon. Peter Smetacek, an expert undergoing study on butterflies and also one of the founder presidents of the Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal, stated, “A lot of tourists come to the butterfly centre here. There is a lot of potential in butterfly tourism in the state.”

Also, the locals residing in the villages witnessed high density of butterflies and slowly begun venturing into the novel concept of butterfly tourism. To quote Arun Prasad Gaur, coordinator of the Devalsari Environment Protection Committee, “There are a whopping 130 species to be found in Devalsari. A large number of butterfly aficionados from across the country visit this place.”